Mental Health in Construction Industry

[anastasios]

Hey guys!
I'm kind of new in the company but everything looks cool so far.

Do you think that our industry is stressful?

I found this article yesterday about mental health in construction and I was thinking about it: https://geniebelt.com/blog/mental-health-in-construction
Especially because we are in a stereotypically "alpha-male" industry, so to say, and sometimes it's a bit tough to address such things.

Thanks for your answers

 

[old-iron-habit]

I have always gotten a little peeved when I hear that the big money CEO's get is because of the high stress level generated by the job. I asked a very highly paid upper manager(a good guy) at a corporate dinner one night why he felt his stress level was higher than a dish washers. I explained to him that if he got canned tomorrow he should, if he was the least bit living within his income, have enough money to live on for a long time. I then told him if the person that washed dishes for a living lost his job today he may not eat tomorrow. How could have more stress than the dishwasher. He had no argument and said he never thought of it tht way before.

 

[92U 3406]

I've gone through a few bouts of what I assume is depression. I never went to a doctor or psychiatrist to have it looked into. Usually happens to me in winter because we only get like 7-8 hours of sunlight but it has never been near bad enough that I'd have ever considered self-inflicted harm. I don't believe in medications as I think those are just a band-aid solution for a deeper problem. Personally I coped with it by simply finding new things to occupy my mind with outside of work. I can't say its this easy for everyone because I don't believe what I experienced was as deeply routed as what others may be experiencing.

 

[kshansen]

OIH, wish you could have known my mom or her dad. I was not fortunate enough to know to know him myself. But mom always made it a point to let people know that no matter how menial they thought their job was it was just as important as anyone else's. She would tell them what her dad had told her, he was an immigrant from England back just before WWI, he said that if not for the plumbers and people who keep the sewers working the king or queen of England would not have a place to go to the bathroom!

And your mention of dishwashers reminded me of just such a person at the little diner she and dad often stopped at for breakfast. This guy was feeling pretty down about his job washing dishes so she told him that bit of advice from her dad. Next time she was there he mentioned how it had made him think about his job and his attitude was much better. Guess the owner of the diner noticed the better attitude as within a few months this guy was now working as one of the head cooks in this diner and thanked mom for her advice often.

If that CEO or upper management guy does a poor job it can cause major problems to the point hundreds of people loose their jobs but by the same token if the dishwasher or housekeeper in a hospital does a poor job people could get very sick or even die. So how can one say one is under more pressure to do a good job. Then when you add in the fact that the CEO probably has compensation rate of over 1,000 time that of the dishwasher..... Poor CEO might have to sell a Porsche or two or maybe one of his vacation homes in the Caribbean.

 

[Hobbytime]

There are many stresses..and all people in any job have stress..whether its about finances, emotions, phobias..you name it...and it is real for the BIG money execs all the way down to that dishwasher....the bottom line is any stress will kill you dead..so it doesnt matter the stress..you need to deal with the cause.and if that isnt fixable you need to figure out how to handle it, and many times the only way to handle it is to make a life change....and tons of books have been written about that...

 

[DMiller]

Hansen, I lost my own Grandfather when I was three. My Mom's Dad, was a refinery worker/welder's helper as he did not manage to break into actual welding, was not good at it. He put in hard days and harder nights second jobs, worked Shell Oil CO Roxanna IL, also held time at Western Cartridge East Alton IL. Throat cancer stressed his system at 57, heart failed at 60. He too would have related the level of stress is not due to the level of management one can attain, he was very careful with his cash but was one bad week from not eating as noted. Wife, daughter, house he built and was paying for from 1936, gas rationing, WWII and the loss of his own family members WWI, WWII, lots of stresses.

His first job was miner, 14 years old in Annapolis MO lead belt mines. Swore as he came out for the last time he would not ever enter a hole in the ground voluntarily again.

 

[Welder Dave]

For a lot of people medication makes a huge difference. They are trying to educate and change peoples views on the subject but some idiots like Tom Cruise think depression and mental illness aren't real. Millions of people who have been helped by therapy and proper medication would disagree.

 

[old-iron-habit]

My depression kicks in when I find a piece of old iron that I like and can't afford. The stress comes when I buy it and have to figure out how to get it home. The fear kicks in when she says "What is that".

Sorry, The stress related illnesses and deaths are all to real. Humor does help, hopefully even my feeble attempts.

 

[92U 3406]

My depression kicks in when I find a piece of old iron that I like and can't afford. The stress comes when I buy it and have to figure out how to get it home. The fear kicks in when she says "What is that".

Sorry, The stress related illnesses and deaths are all to real. Humor does help, hopefully even my feeble attempts.

This. My stress comes from not having anywhere to put it.

 

[Bumpsteer]

My dad was the local undertaker.....buried way to many local farmers well before their time.
Heart attacks, every one, IMO, no doubt stress related.

Ed

 

[kshansen]

For a lot of people medication makes a huge difference. They are trying to educate and change peoples views on the subject but some idiots like Tom Cruise think depression and mental illness aren't real. Millions of people who have been helped by therapy and proper medication would disagree.

Trying hard to put in words my thoughts on this.
If one has an infection no one thinks they are "weak" if they take medication to fight that off. If someone gets bit by a snake and needs a treatment of anti-venom are they "weak" for taking that? If someone has Psoriasis, are they "weak" for taking medication to help control that?

 

[PJ The Kid]

I personally am on the fence about medication to treat things like depression as I believe the medical field is all too often willing to hand you a pill for any little thing. I do believe therapy is a better route if possible. Just like physical therapy for injuries instead of medication.

 

[92U 3406]

I personally am on the fence about medication to treat things like depression as I believe the medical field is all too often willing to hand you a pill for any little thing. I do believe therapy is a better route if possible. Just like physical therapy for injuries instead of medication.

I agree. Doctors seem to be in big pharma's pocket.

 

[Camshawn]

I've gone through a few bouts of what I assume is depression. I never went to a doctor or psychiatrist to have it looked into. Usually happens to me in winter because we only get like 7-8 hours of sunlight but it has never been near bad enough that I'd have ever considered self-inflicted harm. I don't believe in medications as I think those are just a band-aid solution for a deeper problem. Personally I coped with it by simply finding new things to occupy my mind with outside of work. I can't say its this easy for everyone because I don't believe what I experienced was as deeply routed as what others may be experiencing.

My wife uses a UV lamp in the mornings ( 15 minutes) during the winter. Believe me, it helps! Worth the 75$$
Cam

 

[Hobbytime]

all our genetic make up is different..its not like going to auto zone and buying parts to fit a specific year car and the part will fit every car like it..not so with the human body..what works on me may not work on you..and that is one of the major problems trying to get medications to work for a particular person..I dont take any meds other than some pain meds and high blood pressure meds.. but know too many people that take meds for psychological issues...and have listened to all their tales of problems and what the meds do to them...since im not in that frame of mind its hard to comment for those that are..but if there was a chance something might help I would try with caution..I would first try to find out the cause and im a big believer in the holistic area and alternative treatments..it wasnt too long ago insurance companies laughed at acupuncture as a treatment..now they pay for it as its been proven to work..there are many directions to go looking for help in this area, and yes the Drs help support the big pharmaceuticals by prescribing way too fast meds to fix everything....its a long road to get back to where you were if you can...the downside..I have seen too many take what they think is the easy way out.....its a tough call anyway you look at it...

 

[StanRUS]

all our genetic make up is different..its not like going to auto zone and buying parts to fit a specific year car and the part will fit every car like it..not so with the human body..what works on me may not work on you..and that is one of the major problems trying to get medications to work for a particular person..I dont take any meds other than some pain meds and high blood pressure meds.. but know too many people that take meds for psychological issues...and have listened to all their tales of problems and what the meds do to them...since im not in that frame of mind its hard to comment for those that are..but if there was a chance something might help I would try with caution..I would first try to find out the cause and im a big believer in the holistic area and alternative treatments..it wasnt too long ago insurance companies laughed at acupuncture as a treatment..now they pay for it as its been proven to work..there are many directions to go looking for help in this area, and yes the Drs help support the big pharmaceuticals by prescribing way too fast meds to fix everything....its a long road to get back to where you were if you can...the downside..I have seen too many take what they think is the easy way out.....its a tough call anyway you look at it...

Big Pharma scam for increased profits with help from APA.
The American Psychiatric Association meets in secret to develop the DSM. All task force members are required by the APA to sign non-disclosure agreements. This practice has been assailed by many, even former DSM chairman Robert Spitzer, who stated in an interview that "When I first heard about this agreement, I just went bonkers...transparency is necessary if the document is to have credibility."

In March 2009, The APA made an announcement that it would phase out the practice of accepting contributions from pharmaceutical companies for medical education seminars and food provided at conventions. The pledge was short lived, however. Less than two months later the organization accepted $1.7 million from Big Pharma for its yearly convention in San Francisco.

Groups such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), which were allegedly founded to advocate on behalf of people with mental disorders, have since been exposed as nothing more than front groups created to push Big Pharma's profit-driven agenda...

Depression: Is Not Caused by Brain Chemicals Imbalance
http://kellybroganmd.com/7-facts-about-depression-that-will-blow-you-away/

 

[Welder Dave]

Some Dr's. like to give out prescriptions like candy but not all. The fact is a lot of people benefit from medication and mental illness and depression are real. It will likely be debated for eons just like the lunar landings though. There are some quack Dr's. as well. I know people who take medication and it keeps them on a level playing field. Canada has a big Lets Talk event every year to try and bring awareness to mental illness but there are still a lot of people who dismiss it. Of course the attitude is, it will never happen to me.

 

[StanRUS]

Some Dr's. like to give out prescriptions like candy but not all. The fact is a lot of people benefit from medication and mental illness and depression are real. It will likely be debated for eons just like the lunar landings though. There are some quack Dr's. as well. I know people who take medication and it keeps them on a level playing field. Canada has a big Lets Talk event every year to try and bring awareness to mental illness but there are still a lot of people who dismiss it. Of course the attitude is, it will never happen to me.

So Dave, can you name ONE medication that does not have adverse negative side affects?
Sure depression is real, but treatable without using petro-chemical based drugs. Doctors prescribing meds for depression are mostly 'just' enablers; many individuals seek out a 'label' to justify their behaviors, i.e. 'I am bipolar' you have to put up with my $hit!
The field of Psychology; base upon science?
Answer: https://arachnoid.com/psychology/psychology_science.html
Updated 2017: In 2013 the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)79 ruled that the contents of the DSM76 would no longer be accepted as the basis for scientific research proposals, for the reason that the volume has no scientific content. About this ruling, NIMH director Thomas Insel said,
While DSM has been described as a ‘Bible’ for the field, it is, at best, a dictionary, creating a set of labels and defining each. The strength of each of the editions of DSM has been ‘reliability’ – each edition has ensured that clinicians use the same terms in the same ways. The weakness is its lack of validity.
Source: https://arachnoid.com/psychology_and_neuroscience/index.html
Behavior Disorders; Our Genes! Mostly NOT!

 

[DMiller]

Have to agree with Stan here. Have had a few bouts of a depressed sentiment, the only way I found would or could get out of it was to get myself out of it, drive in another direction. Nobody else preaching, examining, coaching, convincing me my parents were evil or abusive people or meds would have or could have made any difference. All too many EXPECT a pill or pills as does my sweet little wife. She gobbles major quantity of pills albeit some kind of miracle vitamins or supplements or her own anti-depressants as she has weight control issues she cannot seem to understand or manage if you eat too much crap(loves cake and ice cream) then stare at the boob tube for literally hours on end you are gonna gain weight that causes her to feel less public capable. One side effect of anti-depressants is weight control, another is fits of uncontrollable depression, becomes a self eating watermelon at that point. The psych groups have to have patients or they do not have work. Someone figures out how to avoid them big pharma and the psycho docs go back to basics or the insane asylums/hospitals.

I have lost jobs, houses, girl friends and good friends(deaths) early on, made and lost my fortune a half dozen times where I am now almost too old to try that crap again yet it lingers always in the background. Kids today, women with NO tolerance levels, people that just will not expend the effort to pull their own butts out of the gutter want something handed to them to make it all better much as the twelve year old that cannot get the new toy or must have clothes or special treats foods expects as a secondary reward to not pout or be mad or 'depressed'.

As with bi-polar, (I did have a girl friend that way, LEGIT) a lot has to do with diet, hormone control, living a better life than just feeding more drugs. The old gal friend could almost spin her head 180 degrees to screech at someone(generally me) when she tripped, eventually she found a reasonable less than Quack that set her off standard birth control and the anti-depressants she took onto a hormone her system was lacking and she stopped acting so weird for her last known boyfriend/husband.

 

[Welder Dave]

I guess then nobody should ever have an operation that could save their life because there's always a risk something could go wrong. Nobody should take Synthroid for a thyroid condition. What about schizophrenia? It's a mental health issue too. Had a guy off his medication and decapitated another person on a bus. Back on the street now and has to agree to take his medication. Brook Shields was treated with medication for post partum depression. Olympic medalists Clara Hughes and Elizabeth Manley both benefitted from medication for depression. Clara Hughes is the main spokesperson for the lets talk event about mental health. Nobody ever likes to admit it but I bet a lot of people you know take medication for depression and it helps them. The whole reason for trying to make the general population more aware how big mental health issues are. My mom takes a small dose of medication and it is a major improvement. Without it she's paranoid about everything and thinks people are out to get her. It really helps with her thought pattern. She ended up in the hospital because she called the police and said some guy phoned her and said all her kids were killed. Can't imagine how she must have felt thinking it was true. Never dawned on her to call us and see if we were OK. With medication she doesn't have thoughts like that! That's a first account of how meds helped my mom. With the internet now, you can find as many different views on a subject to support your agenda as there are minutes in a day. That's why the debate over medication will still be going on 100 years from now.